How to Grow Lilies

Lilies are a summer flowering bulb with large, showy, and often fragrant flowers. Lilies are perennial and will return each year if planted in suitable growing conditions. 

Confusingly, there are a lot of different types of Lilies.   The most commonly cultivated and offer for sale are: 

1. Oriental lilies, illustrated in the second image. These are usually fragrant and prefer acid soil or ericaceous compost. This group includes varieties such as L. Casablanca, Stargazer, Muscadet, all have many stemmed large, attractively scented blooms.
2. Asiatic Lilies Illustrated right the Martagon, Turkscap lily, where the petals recurve creating a very attractive flower shape.  These lilies in particular prefer neutral soil, do not have a scent, but have striking flowers.

Many types of lilies often require staking and to be grown in a sunny spot on free draining soil.

There are many other hybrids, trumpet and Orienpet varieties. The regale lily illustrated top left and one of the most commonly grown of all lilies, belongs to neither group.

All Lilies benefit from a feed, tomato food is ideal.

Warning: all parts of the Lily are poisonous to cats, which includes the pollen. This means if a cat brushes against the Lily plant and the pollen transfers to their coat, which the cat then grooms, they can ingest it in this way which can cause severe illness. Take care when planting.

Lilies grow and flower best in a sunny spot, or in dappled shade planted in with well-drained soil. 

You can buy and plant lilies either as bulbs, or garden ready pot plants.

The key points to growing Lilies is to plant in a warm sunny spot, and to ensure the soil is well drained. 

The most inexpensive way is to plant Lily as bulbs. Growing lilies is possible either in the border or containers. Lily bulbs are usually planted in the autumn from September to November and to a depth three times the bulb size around 10 /15cms deep. If you miss the Autumn planting, lilies can also be planted in the spring up around the end of March/early April. For best effect, plant lilies in groups of 3 or 5. Lilies do not do as well on heavy soil, especially if you are leaving them in the ground all winter. If your garden has heavy/clay/soil or suffers from winter wet it is better to plant Lilies in a container. As with all bulbs, the flat end with embryo roots goes downwards and the pointy end at the top.

Some lilies prefer acid soil, and some alkaline the plant label should help. Broadly, of the most popular varieties, L. Regale prefers neutral or acid, Oriental Lilies are not fussy and Turkscap will tolerate most with a preference to neutral to alkaline.  

All lilies are intolerant of wet soil, which will cause the bulb to rot over winter, and thin dry soil which will result in a poor show of flowers. All Lilies like a rich soil and will benefit from feeding. During the summer feed fortnightly with a high potassium feed such as a tomato feed.

After flowering dead head the flowers but leave the foilage in situ to die back naturally and feed the bulb for next year. 

Warning: the RSPCA has stated that all parts of the Lily can be poisonous to cats. 

Lilies are a fabulous choice for growing in containers, especially the scented varieties. Plant 3 bulbs in a large container in the autumn, or spring. Ensure the compost is suitable for the lily type ( see above). Feed regularly all summer with high potassium feed.

Once it has finished flowering, move the container and let it overwinter in a suitable spot in the garden, with sun. Wet or waterlogged soil will threaten the viability of the bulb.  Repot every few years.

Some Lilies are easier to grow than others. Fortunately, the very popular and showy Lilium regale, 1st image top left, will grow in most soils as long as it is not waterlogged. Also easy to grow are Lilium lancifolium, the tiger lily.